Developer Crescent Real Estate is upping its investment in downtown Dallas' West End district.The Fort Worth-based commercial property firm has purchased architect Corgan's 10-year-old building on Houston Street and the land next door.

Corgan will continue to occupy the 3-story building on a long-term lease while Crescent builds a large addition next door. Corgan said last year that it has outgrown its West End headquarters and that it planned to add an 8-story expansion on the north side parking lot.

What a great addition this will be, and I like the bit of added height at this corner of the West End. Given it's location I bet it will seem pretty impactful as you drive by on 35 and/or Woodall Rogers.

What happened here is Corgan isn't a developer so they partnered with a developer to build the building they will lease from Crescent for really good terms since it's their property in the first place. Corgan is an architecture firm after all not a real estate developer.

As a kid, I remember going to the movie theaters when it was planet Hollywood in the early nighties and it was always packed on the weekends. I always had to sneak in because you had to be 18 and up to get in. Lots of fun. Also I love the arcade game area in the basement. Crazy how things have changed! Good to see this area getting some life in it.

The alley looks terribly boring in terms of doing nothing for actually encouraging good access to Victory Park. It looks like it will basically be a nuisance they will have to watch for homeless. I hope they do some creative lighting like even zig-zag Christmas lights would be appreciated.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:The alley looks terribly boring in terms of doing nothing for actually encouraging good access to Victory Park. It looks like it will basically be a nuisance they will have to watch for homeless. I hope they do some creative lighting like even zig-zag Christmas lights would be appreciated.

If you recall there were bronze statues throughout the alley of dead musicians. They should of have left in there. An ode to Planet Hollywood would've been cool.

In this case, a design study would be helpful about how to make improvements from the West End to Victory Park. We have seen the city obviously invest money in these areas before but rarely do they seem to be more than vanity projects without seriously looking at makes these areas useful or not.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:In this case, a design study would be helpful about how to make improvements from the West End to Victory Park. We have seen the city obviously invest money in these areas before but rarely do they seem to be more than vanity projects without seriously looking at makes these areas useful or not.

Some dirt cheap vendor pads under that overpass would be a no brainier. Ask for $50 for a 10x10 pad for a whole week just to help pay for a few trash cans and litter removal and your done. Sometimes the easiest solutions are also the cheapest.Set some hours and rules (no booze?), and chalk line out some squares... done.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:In this case, a design study would be helpful about how to make improvements from the West End to Victory Park. We have seen the city obviously invest money in these areas before but rarely do they seem to be more than vanity projects without seriously looking at makes these areas useful or not.

Some dirt cheap vendor pads under that overpass would be a no brainier. Ask for $50 for a 10x10 pad for a whole week just to help pay for a few trash cans and litter removal and your done. Sometimes the easiest solutions are also the cheapest.Set some hours and rules (no booze?), and chalk line out some squares... done.

I've always thought a skate park should be placed there. The parking lot for the Perot is such a waste of space. Something that connects the area could be placed there. Vendor pads would be cool. A nice little market would be great.

Both the West End and Victory Park really need to have retail that faces this underpass for it to really work. Right now, on the West End side, you have blank walls and a boring alleyway.

On the Victory Park side, there's Hooters, Hard Rock Cafe, and House of Blues, but the House of Blues faces in the complete opposite direction. There's certainly potential here, but development needs to start facing this underpass, rather than facing away from it.

As for the actual underpass, I like the idea of setting up vendors here. I'd take it one step further and put a TON of lights all over the place. Maybe make the ground light up as you walk on it and/or play music with each step, which would be great to attract kids/families. Place tons of lights along the top as well, and maybe even have some sort of light show that goes off at a certain time each night. Dallas is all about putting lights on their buildings, so might as well embrace it and make a touristy attraction out of it.

It's definitely expensive and ambitious, but I'd still like to see it. I'm sure the light show would be obnoxious to people nearby, but I suppose the fact that this is under a highway would mean it wouldn't bother too many people hopefully.

I'm not sure how busy McKinney Ave gets from Record St to Lamar, but it would be cool to have that closed off, making this a pretty big pedestrian only space.

exelone31 wrote:That plaza near Dallas Alley looks great! Does anyone know if the brewery is still a go down there? Last I saw there had been some delays, but wasn't sure if it had been scrapped all together or not.

exelone31 wrote:That plaza near Dallas Alley looks great! Does anyone know if the brewery is still a go down there? Last I saw there had been some delays, but wasn't sure if it had been scrapped all together or not.

I inquired about it a year ago. It's dead.

Thanks! Well hopefully this development will bring some life down there. I haven't spent any time in this part of town in years, but love reading about how popular it was back in the 80s/90s.

Boston-based Long Wharf Capital LLC will partner with Crescent to build the 7-story addition to architect Corgan's Houston Street headquarters building, a deal that's been in the works for several months.

The new building, called The Luminary, will have more than 80,000 square feet of additional office space for other businesses.

So are we to expect no other significant projects with the Crescenr properties—nothing like Six03?

Dallas-based Corgan Associates Inc. has been hired to make a minimal amount of upgrades to the properties to give them “a Class A feeling that Crescent is known for,” Luik said. The majority of the property renovations were completed by the previous owner, he said.

Parks for Downtown Dallas (Belo Foundation) announced that they completed the purchase of 607 Corbin St for West End Plaza along with another parcel for the park on Harwood. It would be really great if this park finished completion around the same time as the Holocaust Museum so that both projects are seen as one. The way that Perot Museum and Klyde Warren opened together really enhanced the perception of a new era for downtown, IMO, so for that reason I would start West End Plaza after Pacific Plaza but before Harwood Park and Carpenter Plaza.

Parks for Downtown Dallas is excited to announce the acquisition of more land for Downtown Dallas parks. First, we’ve purchased 607 Corbin Street, which will be home to West End Plaza. This park - one square block in the heart of the Historic West End District, - will be located near restaurants, multifamily housing and a variety of businesses. We’ve also purchased the parcel of land at 404 S. Harwood Street, an integral part of Harwood Park, which will be located between Jackson and Young streets. Harwood Park will be built around already existing buildings, bringing the city and park feeling into one great, combined addition to the area. With these two additions, we’re one step closer to bringing more green space to Downtown Dallas.

No, but the first Downtown Parks plan did have some concepts done to show it would be more plaza than a park. The parking lot isn't huge but its big enough considering the West End isn't a huge district. Its funny there has never been much of a big push to get the West End Plaza project going. The other parks proposed have long been better backed by the donating boosters for Downtown. Particularly the Main Street ones, Belo and Main Street Gardens. I think the recent West Ends resurgence as a startup haven for creative office space has put a little more fire into the Downtown Parks group who seems to be focusing on buying the land for parks before development swallows parcels up all over the CBD.

Thanks! Plaza or park is fine with me. Simply replacing the surface lot with something pedestrian friendly will make a world of difference.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen is to add a patio to spaghetti warehouse (the side that faces the plaza), or, at the very least, add some windows or do something to make the building interact with the plaza more. I guess that's really up to Spaghetti Warehouse and not the city, so something could still be done, if the plaza is popular enough.

DPatel304 wrote:Thanks! Plaza or park is fine with me. Simply replacing the surface lot with something pedestrian friendly will make a world of difference.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen is to add a patio to spaghetti warehouse (the side that faces the plaza), or, at the very least, add some windows or do something to make the building interact with the plaza more. I guess that's really up to Spaghetti Warehouse and not the city, so something could still be done, if the plaza is popular enough.

It wouldn't work because that's where back of the building is. There's utility boxes and doors to the kitchen in the back. Nothing really there.

The plan is for the back of the building that faces the park area to be more aesthetically pleasing. I think that's the best solution. Put some ivy or some mural art work and it would look awesome.

Additional Security Coming to Dallas’ Historic West EndDallas’ Historic West End has long had a reputation as dangerous. The neighborhood association dedicated to the enhancement of the area—the West End Association—scored a long-anticipated win Tuesday with the hiring of safety patrol Landmark Security to help make the West End safer.

I've only been to there area a couple times, but the last time I was there, I had dinner at Y.O Ranch Steakhouse then went to Gator's afterwards for drinks on a Friday night, and didn't feel the area was unsafe at all. There were a few people walking the streets too. Based on the reputation the area has, I expected a lot worse.

The West End DART station, on the other hand, is a different story. I've only walked past the station during the day, but, even then, it didn't feel very safe.

Additional Security Coming to Dallas’ Historic West EndDallas’ Historic West End has long had a reputation as dangerous. The neighborhood association dedicated to the enhancement of the area—the West End Association—scored a long-anticipated win Tuesday with the hiring of safety patrol Landmark Security to help make the West End safer.

I've only been to there area a couple times, but the last time I was there, I had dinner at Y.O Ranch Steakhouse then went to Gator's afterwards for drinks on a Friday night, and didn't feel the area was unsafe at all. There were a few people walking the streets too. Based on the reputation the area has, I expected a lot worse.

The West End DART station, on the other hand, is a different story. I've only walked past the station during the day, but, even then, it didn't feel very safe.

I agree with this observation, the West End itself is fairly quite, its the DART station itself that brings all the sketchy characters to the neighborhood and it's been this way for a while. Nice that something is finally being done along with all the new development.

You need a better development right around that station that could help bring in more kinds of people. It is the busiest station in the DART network but that doesn't mean it should be all homeless and people with behavior problems. If that church hadn't moved in a better use for that historical building could have a positive influence. The church opened a coffee shop but the building still looks derelict most of the time.

Additional Security Coming to Dallas’ Historic West EndDallas’ Historic West End has long had a reputation as dangerous. The neighborhood association dedicated to the enhancement of the area—the West End Association—scored a long-anticipated win Tuesday with the hiring of safety patrol Landmark Security to help make the West End safer.

I've only been to there area a couple times, but the last time I was there, I had dinner at Y.O Ranch Steakhouse then went to Gator's afterwards for drinks on a Friday night, and didn't feel the area was unsafe at all. There were a few people walking the streets too. Based on the reputation the area has, I expected a lot worse.

The West End DART station, on the other hand, is a different story. I've only walked past the station during the day, but, even then, it didn't feel very safe.

Two years ago, I witness someone get stabbed not too far from the West End station. I was at the Rosa Park Plaza bus station, right across the street from the BOA Plaza. People were walking out of the building trying to figure out what was going on. Numerous police cars and ambulances were speeding down Elm Street to the Plaza. It was a pretty big scene. There were absoultely no DART police at the Plaza during and before the stabbing. Someone had to call 911 and another person ran to get DART police. What happened there was totally unacceptable.

Since then, I try my best to avoid the West End Station including the bus stations surrounding the train station. Some people are just there up to no good. You can feel it and see it when you walk through the area. Hopefully, the increased security will help reduce crime.

Swell new restaurant spritzes up former Hoffbrau space in Dallas' West EndA restaurateur with a solid track record in Dallas' West End takes another swing with 3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails, a fine new restaurant now open at 311 N. Market St., in the heart of the neighborhood.

3Eleven — which boldly eschews the space between the 3 and the E — comes from Jay Khan, owner of RJ Mexican Cuisine, who envisioned something classic yet modern in the prized location that was long occupied by Hoffbrau Steaks. Hoffbrau closed in December 2016 after 23 years.

Since that plot I belive is owned by the Landmark Building ownership it would have to be something with them. Previous ownership has tried to expand the Landmark Building so I wouldn't put it past them to try again and most likely build some sort of parking garage as part of the project. Lord knows if they added more ground-floor space maybe that side of West End could wake up a bit with the right business mix.

On a separate note, I went to the new restaurant 3Eleven last night and had a pretty good experience. I was a little skeptical about this place because their Facebook page just made it seemed like they were trying way too hard to appear trendy, but the food was good, and the cocktails seemed decent (I'm not a cocktail person at all, so I'm not really the best judge). I rarely hang out in the West End, so it was cool to see there were actually people walking the streets, there was one street vendor selling paintings he was doing, and people riding the horse carriage rides. It was still nowhere close to being a lively and thriving scene, but there were enough people walking the streets to where it didn't feel like a ghost town.

Whenever the park gets built, it'll really help tie the area together.